Summary: Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan's Senior VP for Global Design, discusses shifting away from a uniform design language towards more distinctive, character-rich vehicles, signaling an exciting era of diversity for Nissan's future models.

During the New York International Auto Show, we engaged with Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for Global Design, delving into the future trajectory of Nissan's car design. The conversation revealed Nissan’s intent to diverge from recent trends, particularly in abandoning a uniform corporate design language. Nissan, known for its V-Motion grille, is steering away from one-size-fits-all design principles, which although beneficial for brand recognition, can hinder individual model distinctiveness and sometimes result in design mismatches.

Albaisa emphasized the necessity of distinctiveness in Nissan’s lineup, illustrating how different models cater to varied customer preferences and shouldn’t be forced to conform to a singular design identity. He highlighted the Nissan Kicks as an example of this new direction, noting its unique design elements inspired by American football gear and athletic footwear, offering a glimpse into a more diversified and imaginative design approach for Nissan.

He expressed concerns over the potential for a corporate design language to age an entire vehicle lineup prematurely as newer designs roll out incrementally. Reflecting on his early days at Nissan, Albaisa reminisced about the 1990s as a golden era of design diversity within the company, a quality he feels has been underutilized in subsequent years.

In our discussion, Albaisa also reminisced about Nissan’s Pike Factory cars, like the Be-1, Pao, Figaro, and S-Cargo, praising their unique charm and expressing a desire to revive such distinctively endearing designs in Nissan’s future offerings. Specifically, he hinted at the next-generation Nissan Micra, potentially based on the same EV platform as the Renault 5, capturing attention with its round headlights and adorable aesthetics, though its availability in the American market remains uncertain.

This shift towards more unique and characterful designs marks a promising phase for Nissan, aiming to make each model stand out and enrich the brand's portfolio with vehicles that possess individual charm and appeal.